The Mindset Every Leader Needs to Infuse into Their Company Right Now

Every successful leader has a story of how they got to where they are, a story with twists, turns, roadblocks, failures, often leading to some sort of happy ending. However, while often not “planned”, our research shows that many leaders’ paths follow this pattern because they have been operating with a serendipity mindset. Serendipity – unexpected good luck resulting from unplanned moments in which proactive decisions lead to positive outcomes – is based on how we act at the moment, and how prepared we are for the unexpected. A serendipity mindset is not a mythical power that only specific leaders are born with but a way of operating in both our professional and personal lives that can be learned.

Successful leaders are not “just lucky”, even when their career may have some seemingly coincidental moments. In reality, successful leaders have laid the foundation to spot and act on opportunities and turn them into “smart” luck. They worked hard to get lucky.

Serendipity is everywhere, and we can realize this once we begin flexing and training our serendipity muscles. So how can leaders “create” serendipity in their workspace, company, or community? Three steps are:

Post Mortem Exercises

An exercise to increase serendipity propensity is holding post mortems. When it is time for a project or experiment to be laid to rest, all those who worked on it have a chance to discuss what they learned, gained, and regretted from the whole process. Crucially, members from outside the team are invited to pay their respects but also an opportunity for different questions or insights on the project to be brought up. This is how “coincidentally” new ideas and products emerge, as people have an incentive to “connect the dots” for each other. Thoughtful experimentation and innovation become part of the corporate culture.

Accelerating Unexpected Interactions

Often those on the fringes of a process of problem-solving may have a perspective that is hugely valuable. Encouraging employees to interact with others inside and outside the company can allow the chance for new ideas, and serendipity, to spark. Companies have done this by requiring employees to have lunch with someone outside their organization, fostering diversity, and establishing the office as a community through deeper connections. Virtual “water-cooler” moments can be facilitated by randomly matching up employees to go for a coffee (often based on an inspiring prompt).

Psychological Safety

The degree of psychological safety that an individual experience often has a major influence on the performance of a company. It is not about everyone feeling comfortable at any given time, but about creating an environment in which people can directly express when and why something did or did not work. The safety can be achieved by openly expressing that nobody has it all figured out (as the leadership team did at one of the world’s most creative companies, Pixar), and responding productively when hearing about a mistake or failure.

A serendipity mindset is an incubator for ideas, opportunities, and success. By adopting this approach to a company or workspace, leaders can infuse their team and surroundings with innovation and potential.

Becca Leaman is currently pursuing a Master of Science Degree at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs with a concentration in Global Gender Studies. Prior to beginning at NYU, Becca served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana. Her areas of expertise include capacity building, gender equality, and nonprofit organizations.